Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s
reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But
when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s she finds herself
at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a
dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal.
Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect
Earth’s future.

This is not the fairy tale you
remember. But it’s one you won’t forget.

History of my copy: As mentioned in my
review of Throne of Glass, Cinder
and the rest of The Lunar Chronicles are books that are hugely popular in the
Instagram book community. Because of this, I knew I had to give it a try.

It
is now custom in my family to buy a new board game each Christmas to play over
the festive period and throughout the year. This year, to save having to pay
postage, my mum allowed me to get Cinder
as it wasn’t on my Christmas list.

I will admit that after my disappointment with Throne of
Glass, I was a little bit apprehensive about this book. However, despite how
predictable the book is (which is expected as a version of Cinderella), I really did enjoy this one!

Plot: I’m sure almost everyone is
familiar with the story of poor old Cinderella, the burden of her step-family,
who strikes lucky and ends up falling in love with the Prince to live happily
ever after. As based on that story, there are, of course, many parallels. There’s
the outcast, Cinder, who is both
cyborg and later revealed to be Lunar, hated by her stepmother and Pearl
(although adored by her other stepsister Peony). There’s the beautiful Prince
Kai. There’s the ball and ‘pumpkin ride’ (Cinder’s
rescued car), and there’s the infamous ‘glass slipper’, although in this case
it is Cinder’s too small foot.

On
top of the fairy tale likeness of this book, there is the deadly plague and the
imminent war with the Lunars, giving twists to the familiar story in each and
every chapter.

Setting: Another fantastic thing about
this book, is that it is set in the futuristic New Beijing after the fourth
World War. This really does transform the traditional fairy tale into a whole
new story where technology has really advanced, and where wars with alien
species is a real possibility.

Characters: This is one of the few books
where I have genuinely loved the main female character. Much too often they are
written unrealistically and too perfectly, yet Cinder remains relatable, funny and really gets you to feel for
her. She also represents how stereotypes are all to present, even in the
future. Cyborgs and Lunars are outcast for what they are, before people even
know who they are.

Moving
on to another main character, I will admit that I don’t like Prince Kai too
much. Although I will praise Meyer for avoiding the trap of ‘perfect’ female
characters, she has created the generic flirty, pretty boy that just gets on
your nerves. Yes, his thoughts are well constructed and there certainly is a
charm to him, I’m just getting sick of boys who just need to flash a smile to
get a girl to fall in love with them.

One of my favourite character in
this story isn’t a person at all, but is Cinder’s
droid Iko! She is funny and sweet, kind to Cinder
and has her heart (or personality chip I suppose?) in the right place, even if
she should probably think before she speaks sometimes. I was as devastated with
her ‘death’ as I was Peony’s (which means I shed a tear or two), but I can’t
wait to see Cinder put her chip back
into another droid to bring her back.

To read or not to
read: Read. Although, as
mentioned before, the story is rather predictable (for example, I guessed the
real identity of Cinder quite early
on in the book), it is also different enough from the original fairy tale to
keep you hooked, wanting to find out just how the events will play out. I
really do recommend this book, especially for anyone who loves stories with a
twist.